Knitting-machine



(ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. G. SHAW.

# Knitting Machine.

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N. PETERS. PholmLiihogmphar. achinglon. D. C.

(ModeL) a Shets-Sheet 2.

H. O. SHAW.

- Knitting Machine. No. 241,162. Patented May I0, 1881.

N. PETERS. Phoko-Liihognpher. Washington, D. C.

useful Improvementin Machines for Knitting;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT (J. SHAW, OF NEEDHAM, ASSIGNOR T0 HIMSELF AND TORREY E.\VARDNER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

KNITTING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,162, dated May 10,1881.

Application filed March ll, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, HERBERT O. SHAW, 0i Needham, in the county of Norfolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and and I do herebydeclare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top view,Fig. 2 a front elevation, and Fig. 3 a transverse section, of thoseparts of aknitting-machine appertainiugto my invention. Fig. 4 is a sideview of one, and Fig. 5 a side view of the other, of the latchneedlesused in each set of such needles. Fig. 6 isIan under-side view of one ofthe cam-bars with its stationary and movable cam-plates. Such-otherfigures as may be necessary to a proper illustration of the parts to behereinafterdescribed will be referred to and explained.

The nature of my invention is fully set forth in the claims hereinafterpresented.

In theworki n g of the needles of each set of needles either half thenumber thereof is stationary while the other half is being movedconsequently it requires two cam-bars with cams or cam-plates to thesets of needles. These cam-bars are alternately moved longi-- tudinally,one being at rest while the other is in movement, and theyareprovidedwith mechanism for so moving them.

The needles, formed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, have projections or studsa b to enter the cams of the bars; but the studs a of one-half thenumber of the needles of each set are at a greater distance from thehooks of their needles than are the studs I) of the remaining needlesfrom their hooks, such being as represented.

In the drawings six sets of the needle-carriers are shown at A A A A AA, they being properly made to receive the needles and guide them intheir rectilinear movements. The needle-carriers of each set aresupported in one of a series of sliding shoes, B. This shoerests on thetop of thebase-bar c of the frame 0, and is adapted thereto so as to becapable of bein g moved thereon rectilinearly and transversely of it,(the said base-bar.) Underneath the base-bar is a stationary bar, D. Ascrew,

d, SCIcWS through the said barD,and is so connected with an ear, 0,extending down from the shoe that in turning the screw one way the shoewill be caused to slide rearward, itbeing moved forward when the screwis being revolved the opposite way. Thismovement of the shoe and its setof needlecarriers and needles is to regulate the length of the stitch tobe madethat is, to increase or diminish it, as occasion may require.

The mechanism herein described comprises part of a machine forknittingfancy, spotted, or check fabrics, particularly gloves, orportions thereof, with yarn of different colors, the yarncarriers andthe parts not included in my invention not being represented. Each setof the needles answers to knit the finger part of a glove, one set onlybeing exhibited with sets of carriers appertaining to the remaining setsof needles; but in order to knit the body of a glove a single set ofneedles equal, or about equal, in width to the space occupied on thebase-bar by two adjacent sets, as represented, is to be substituted forsuch sets, and to have a shoe and needle-carriers therefor suitable forsupporting the said wider set of needles.

Each cam-barhas three stationary and three movable cam-plates applied toit, whereby it is rendered capable of working the sets of needles forglove-finger knitting, or those for glove-body knitting, as occasion mayrequire.

I use separate sets of cams to each cam-bar for the same reason thatsuch are used in other machines of like character-vim, in order to savethe necessity of moving the cam-bar the great distance it would have tobe moved were but one set of cams employed with each bar.

The cam-bars are represented at E and E. Each has a series of posts, f,extending up from it, and having fixed to them at their upper ends abar, F. A stationary rail or bar,

G, extends through each set of posts, which slide freely on the saidbar, in order that the cam-bar may he moved longitudinally and 5rectilinearly.

The stationary cam-plates of the cam bar are shown at H, and the movableones at I, they being formed and arranged as represented. Each movablecam-plateis at its middle pivoted to the cam-bar; and,furthcrn.iore,there project up from the movable cam-plates through slots in thecam-bar two studs or screws, g 9, arranged as shown, they being tooperate with a slide-bar, K, provided with a series of trapezoidalnotches, h, and adapted to slide longitudinally on the cam-bar. Thelongitudinal movement of the bar K relatively to the cambar is limitedby slots t in the bar K, and screws it, going through such slots andscrewing into the cam-bar.

There project upward from the bar K, near its ends, two studs, 1. Nearthe termination of each movement of the cam-bar one of such studs willbe carried into contact with the head of one of two screws, m,extending, as shown, from two posts, 0, erected on the base-bar c. The.efl'ect will be that the notched bar will be stopped in its movement,and the cam-bar will continue to advance a short distance farther,sufficient to cause the movable cam-plates of the cam-bar to swing orturn on their pivots in a manner to carry one side of the notch of eachof said movable plates into parallelism with the next adjacent side ofthe triangular projection 11 of the fellow stationary cam-plate, theother side of the notch being moved out of parallelism with the nextadjacent side of the projection q. The object of so moving each movablecam-plate relatively to the fellow stationary cam-plate is to insure thepassage of the needle-studs into the space between the two plateswithout causing a sudden backward movement of each needle to rupture orbreak the loop or loops of yarn that may be upon it. The weight andstrain on the work when it is hanging from the needles frequently causesthem to be drawn forward alittle, and as each stationary and eachmovable cam-plate has to be beveled at its ends,as shown at r, to insurethe entrance of the needle-stud into the space between their plates,were that space of equal width throughout and both plates rigidlyfastened to the cam-bar, as they usually are or have been in variousother machines of the kind, the little displacement of the needles bythe work, as explained, would cause, on the cam-bar being moved, one ofthe bevels of the notched cam-plate to be carried into contact with theneedle-studs in a manner to cause the needles to he suddenly retracted,so as to draw the work against the needle-carriers, and break or burstthe loops on the needles. By having the notched cam-plate movablerelatively to the fellow cam-plate, in manner as described, its bevel iscarried out of the way of the needlestuds, which freely enter the spacesbetween the cam-plates until they may be met and acted on or forcedforward by the stationary camplate. Thus the said sudden retraction ofthe needles and consequent breakage of their loops are prevented by themovable cam-plate and its operative mechanism, as explained.

The next part of the mechanism to be described is that for moving thecam-bars.

Between and parallel with the two cam-barsupport rails is anintermediate rail or stationary bar, M, on which a carriage, N, slideslen gthwise thereof.

Fig. 7 is a top view, Fig. 8 aside elevation, and Fig. 9 is a transversesection of the said carriage.

Arranged in and extending across the carriage N is a short shaft, 8,carrying three toothed wheels, at u v, the larger or rearmost one beinga ratchet-wheel. The two wheels u a are alike, they being formed asshown in Fig. 8. Extending across the said wheels and carriage is alever-catch, 10, which, at or near its middle, is fulcrumed to thecarriage. The wheels at a are arranged so that as they areintermittently revolved they shall cause the le ver-cateh to be tiltedfirst in one and next in the opposite direction.

On the bar F of each cam-bar there is fixed, as shown, an adjustableprojection or abutment, as, and there is fulcrumed to the outer edge ofthe bar F a lever, y, shaped as shown, the longer arm of the said leverresting on a projection, 01., from one of the posts by which the bar Fis supported.

A lever-pawl, b, fulcrumed to a slider, c, on the bar M, engages withthe ratchet-wheel v. The said slide-bar has a clamp-screw, d, forclamping it to the bar. Furthermore, there projects from the slide andover the shorter arm of the lever-pawl an arm, 0, through which a screw,f, is screwed down to the said arm, the same being to effect the properadjustment of the pawl relatively to the ratchet-wheel.

On the carriage N being reciprocated on its supportbar the lever catchto will be alternately tilted by the wheels u a. When in either of itsextreme positions such catch will bear against the abutment a of one ofthe bars F while the carriage is being moved one way, and on thecarriage being moved the other way the catch 10 will bear against thenext adjacent end of the lever y of such bar F, and consequently willreciprocate or move in opposite directions with it-the cam-barimmediately below such bar F. In advancing toward the abutment thelever-catch w passes over the lever g, which gives way and allows it toso pass, and next assumes, by the gravitating power of its su periorarm, its normal position. While one cam-bar may be at rest the otherwill be in movement, and will be moved first one way and next in theopposite direction, whereby one half the number of needles of each setwill be moved twice to receive yarn and form loops thereof during eachreciprocation of a cam-bar, the other half of each of the sets ofneedles being similarly operated by the other cam-bar while beingreciprocated.

The bar for supporting the work during advance of the needles is shownat 0. It is hinged or pivoted to the base-bar, so as to be capable ofbeing turned out away from the work as occasion may require. The saidbar, near its free end, has a hole to receive a stationary stud, g,which aids in holding the bar in place.

In rear of the sets of needles is a horizontal bar, T, which is pivotedto the frame-work, so as to be turned up directly in rear of the needlesor down below them. From such bar an arm, It, extends, and is jointed toa notched latch, 1', provided with a handle, 7c, and arranged asrepresented. When the barT is up in its highest position the latchcatches upon the bar D, and thus serves to hold the bar T in suchposition. The object of the bar T is to hold the needles forward or fromslipping backward while work is being removed from or being applied tothem.

In explanation of the operation of the neodles of each set in producinga fancy striped fabric, I would remark that straight stripes are made inthe work by feeding to the needles yarns of two different colors, onecolored yarn being fed to the needles while one cam-bar may be inmovement, and the other colored yarn being fed to the needles while theother cambar may be in operation. Yarns of like color fed to the set ofneedles when the cam-bars may be in motion will produce cross-stripes ofsuch color-that is to say, a stripe will be made while each yarn may beso fed, and when another or different-colored stripe becomes necessaryanother colored yarn is to be substituted for that used in making thefirst-mentioned stripe.

Persons skilled in the use of knitting-machines for knitting fancyfabrics will easily understand that the machine hereiubefore describedmay be used to great advantage in the production of fabrics checked orstriped in different colors.

The carriage N is to be reciprocated by any suitable mechanism, suchusually bein ga crank and a connectingrod as are generally employed tooperate the cam-bar of a common straight-knitting machine. As most; ifnot all, persons skilled in the art of knitting by machinery,particularly the class of knitting mechanism to which myinvcntionappertains, well know that each set of needles must have its separateyarn-carrier, and that such is to be arranged, applied, and operated inthe common and well-known ways, and as such yarncarriers constitute nopart of my invention, I h ve not deemed it necessary or proper todescribe them in my specification, or to represent them in the drawings.Yet it may be stated that the yarn-carriers may be connected with andreciprocated by the cam-barsor by devices connected therewith or appliedthereto.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. The combination of two or more separate sets of latch-needlesprovided with studs arranged in each set, as set forth, with carriersfor supporting and guiding such needles, and with two cam-bars providedwith cams, as described, and with mechanism for alternatelyreciprocating each of such cam-bars across the separate series ofneedles, as explained, one of such cam-bars being at rest while theother may be in movement, and all being arranged and to operatesubstantially as specified.

2. The combination of two or more separate sets of latch-needlesprovided with studs arranged in each set, as set forth, with carriersfor supporting and guiding such needles, carrier-sustainin g shoes,arranged, supported, and provided with mechanism for adjusting them, asexplained, and with two cam-bars provided with cams, and with mechanism,as specified, for alternately reciprocating such bars, all bein g tooperate substantially as described.

3. The combination of the two alternatelyreciprocating cam-bars,connecting mechanism between the cam-bars and carriage N,the saidcarriage and its support-bar M, the three rotary toothed wheels a a o,the shaft 8, levercatch to, pawl 11, abutments m, tripping-levers y, andthe bars F, all adapted and to operate substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the movable abutment or back bar, T, provided withmeans of moving it into and supporting it in each ofits ex-' tremepositions, with two or more sets of latchneedles, (arranged in carriersand provided with studs, as set forth,) and with two cam-bars havingcams,as described, and also having means, as explained, for alternatelyreciprocating such cam -bars across the needles, all being arranged andto operate substantially as specified.

HERBERT O. SHAW.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, W. W. LUNT.

